Martin Luther King III Talks About King Center Exit

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Martin Luther King III explained why he left his role as CEO of the King Center. The son of the legendary civil rights leader said that there were too many differences and he had concerns over the center's future.

But the current custodian of the King Center says that King isn't telling exactly why he left.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

This month, the center’s seven-person board of mainly family members removed King as CEO, replacing him with his sister, Bernice King. At the same time, Martin King, still bearing the title of president, said he was stripped of his executive powers and responsibility, leaving his position little more than a “ceremonial” one.

“I disagree with the new direction of the board, which makes the center essentially an extension of King Inc. rather than acknowledge the fundamentally different and at times conflicting motives of a for-profit corporation vs. a public foundation,” King wrote in a resignation letter he submitted to the board Jan. 17. “The convergence of the two entities is evidenced by the placement of King Inc. staff in control of the center, including the interim managing director position.”

But while King is citing philosophical differences, a person close to the situation is claiming that King was stripped of his powers in essence because he wasn’t a good leader.

Houston attorney Terry M. Giles, who was appointed by a judge to serve as the custodian of King Inc., said as president and CEO of the King Center, King was not moving the organization forward.

Giles, who is applying through the Fulton County Superior Court to be the custodian of the King Center as well, said that during King’s time at the helm, virtually no fundraising had been done to “assure the future and proper care of the center.”

The center's board of directors consists primarily of King family members. Unfortunately, as we all know, when money and power are up for grabs, this type of situation often ensues -- even among family.